


Asters and Amaranths

by Rainbowfootsteps



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Florists, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Mental Health Issues, New Mexico, Sort Of, because as we all know hanzo is an asshole, my gay boys in their gay flower shop being gay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-03
Updated: 2018-01-03
Packaged: 2019-02-27 23:54:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13259250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainbowfootsteps/pseuds/Rainbowfootsteps
Summary: After moving to Albuquerque, Jesse finds a job at a flower shop, feat. my boy Hanzo and a whole lot of drama.





	Asters and Amaranths

Jesse didn’t roll out of bed. ‘Roll’ had too much energy in it. Slumped out of bed was more accurate. He pulled the sheets back, swung his legs out, and sat on the edge of the small mattress. His prosthetic arm lay on the table beside him. It glittered cruelly at him. Getting it on was a struggle - as always - but eventually it was attached to his left elbow, reacting not quite fast enough to his thoughts to feel natural. Five months on and he still despised the damn thing. Two antidepressants later and his morning ritual was complete.

Bzzz! His phone rattled on the nightstand. When he turned it on, a message from Fareeha leapt onto the screen.

_Excited for your first day?_

Oh, right. Jesse raked a hand through his auburn hair, scratching the back of his head. He’d forgotten about his new job at the florist’s.

_I’m a bit scared to be honest._

His reply was an understatement. As he got up and started to get dressed, a thousand scenarios ran through his head. Every possible way his first day could go wrong. It was a recent habit that had crept into his head after his arm…

Breakfast was a coffee. There were bagels in the pantry, but he just couldn’t get the energy to eat one. So he sat there, nestling his coffee in his hands, thinking.

Fareeha had been the one to discover the job opportunity. His little sister had read the ‘wanted’ section in the news religiously, poring over the tiny text to mark down the ones that Jesse could try. Unfortunately, most places didn’t want to take a guy with depression and a missing arm. The florist’s, though. Regal Flowers, in swirling cursive. Fareeha had literally gasped out loud, eyes shining when she turned to Jesse.

“This one’s perfect! They’re looking for someone ‘willing to learn’, they describe themselves as ‘welcoming’, and get this. They’re only a block away from you!” She thrust the newspaper towards Jesse. He read it slowly. A florist’s? He’d only ever worked at their ranch, so he didn’t have much in the way of credentials. Now, in a whole new country, it had started to feel impossible to find work. But a florist… It didn’t sound too bad.

Jesse was snapped back to reality by his phone ringing. He swore when he saw the time. He needed to hurry. He rushed out of his apartment, taking the call as he did so.

“Hello?” He said, pulling open his front door.

“Hey, It’s me!” Fareeha’s voice was loud and excited. “Are you on your way to work?”

“Yeah. You could have just texted me, you know.”

“But I wanted to talk to you! Today is a special occasion after all. Do you know what you’re gonna be doing? Like, being a cashier?”

“I don’t know, the interview was pretty short. I just talked to a guy called Gabriel and he told me to come in today.” He replied. He was out of his apartment building now. The sharp winter breeze cut through his coat like a knife. There were towers all around him nearly touching the sky and their height alone made him feel dizzy. He’d had to move to Albuquerque to be closer to doctors and psychologists, but that didn’t stop him from hating it. The buildings felt like they were going to tip over and crush him, blotting out the horizon he yearned to see.

“Maybe you’ll be doing proper florist stuff then! You - oh, shit, I’m gonna be late. I’d come around after your shift but I’m working late tonight. Call me tomorrow, okay?”

“Alright, I will.”

“Love you, big bro.” Beep. Beep. Jesse gently put his phone in his pocket. Fareeha had moved to the city before him, to go to university. What was she studying again? Jesse pulled his coat closer to his body. He couldn’t remember. Another thing to hate about himself.

He passed by a glass storefront. He stared at his own reflection. Tired brown eyes, above dark undereye that cut comically deep into his skin. A puffy brown coat, blue jeans, and his only pair of shoes - cowboy ankle boots. They were scuffed beyond belief. The last thing his eyes saw was the glint of his metal hand, before the glass building was behind him. He tried desperately not to think about it. About the noticeable lack, the heavy emptiness that began at his elbow. The nerves that stung long after they had been severed. The stamp of the horse’s hooves, crushing dirt and flesh and bone and-

He looked up. He was in front of a store that smelled fragrant and looked like a cornucopia of different colours. The glass storefront revealed flower arrangements and bouquets, of so many different types - a few flowers he could recognise, like roses and marigolds, but so many were unknown to him. The shop’s sign read Regal Flowers. He was here.

Digging his hands into his pockets, Jesse walked into the store. The door opened with a soft jingle. As soon as he crossed the threshold, the floral aroma increased. It was like stepping into a perfume aisle, with quiet Beethoven playing in the background. While he walked to the front desk, he couldn’t help but stare at all the things around him. There were a few customers wandering in between the flowers - mostly couples, he noticed. Flowers for their weddings, he supposed. When he got to the counter, he was greeted by a rather short girl with long, brown hair and a jumper with a bunny on it.

“Can I help you, sir?” She asked, quite boredly. With his height advantage, Jesse could see her pink 3ds concealed underneath the counter.

“Um, yeah, actually. I’m supposed to start workin’ here today.” He replied. The girl’s eyes opened a little. She leaned forward, her curiosity clearly piqued. 

“So you’re Jesse McCree?” She asked. He nodded. She scrutinised him for a moment, seeming to size him up. “Okay then. I’m Hana, by the way. I guess I should take you to see Gabriel. He runs this place.”

“I met him for a job interview.” Jesse provided. The girl nodded indifferently.

“Whatever. Follow me.” She said. Jesse obeyed, and followed her towards the back of the store. Set in a lime green wall and almost completely obscured by colourful flora, was a small door. On the other side Jesse found himself in a large workshop-esque area. There were a few tables with bouquets on them and flowers all over the place. At the very back was a rolling garage door, closed against the elements. There were two men working near one of the tables. One of them he recognised as Gabriel, but the other he hadn’t met. When he and Hana entered the room, Gabriel smiled at them.

“Hey, Jesse. I’m glad to see you, because we have a lot of orders to get done today.” He gestured towards the swathe of flower arrangements on the table. They were all the same - blue and white, in blue vases, sitting in glass vases. “This needs to be at a wedding tomorrow, so we have to get it done today.” 

Jesse looked hesitantly at the flowers. The job suddenly felt a lot more daunting. Gabriel glanced at the other man.

“Hanzo can lead you through what you need to do. I have to go deliver some posies, but I should be back in an hour.” He said, adjusting his black beanie. His dark skinned face had a few scars along his cheekbones, just above a dark goatee. Jesse had felt intimidated by him during the interview, but he seemed a lot more amicable with an armful of flowers.

“Alright, see you soon.” He waved, and trotted towards the exit. Hana gave Jesse a quick peace sign and followed him out. Jesse suddenly realised he was holding his breath. He exhaled, then looked at Hanzo. He was shorter than Jesse, wearing a black top and jeans. His hair was an undercut tied at the back, with one long lock of hair that fell over his face. He looked at Jesse coldly. Before Jesse could speak, Hanzo cut him off.

“Start with four roses to make the centre, then add roses and delphiniums around them in a dome shape. Make sure the delphiniums are evenly spread out.” He almost barked out the instructions. He immediately went back to assembling his own bouquet.

“Alright. It’s, uh, nice to meet ya, Hanzo.” Jesse replied, a bit stunned. What was this guy’s problem? He shrugged off his jacket, slung it over a nearby chair and walked over to the table. He scooped up a few roses then tried to arrange them in a square-ish shape. His prosthetic arm didn’t want to cooperate, however, and it took him a few tries to get it looking nice. He could feel Hanzo’s contemptful gaze burning into him. Bristling, he hurried to finish the assemblage. 

While he worked, he snuck a few glances at Hanzo. His standoffish coworker had a stud through his nose bridge, an incredibly stern brow, and a well-kept goatee. He looked like he was about in his mid-twenties - he couldn’t be much older than Jesse. His dark brown eyes flashed up and Jesse hurriedly looked down at his bouquet. It was nearly finished - and a little lopsided.

“Tie the stems with tape a few inches below the flowers down to near the bottom.” Hanzo instructed, handing him a roll of grey tape. Jesse took it with a smile.

“Thanks.” Surely there was something he could say to lighten the mood? The heavy silence was killing him. “You been working here long?”

“About five months.” Hanzo replied. At least it was an answer, if somewhat brusque. He tried again.

“Anybody else work here? I mean, aside from Hana n’ Gabriel.” He carefully wound the tape down the stems, metal hand turning the flowers fitfully.

“No. The only other people who come into the back are Jamison and Mako. They deliver the flowers on monday.” Hanzo replied. He immediately went back to his flowers. Jesse gave a clearly strained smile. The least this guy could do is give him the time of day! He sighed softly and went back to his own flowers. Assembling and wrapping the flowers soon became calmly monotonous. Although not nearly as fast as Hanzo, he found a rhythm to his work and their silent work passed quickly.

They were nearly out of delphiniums when the door opened, and Gabriel walked in. He looked at them in surprise.

“You’re still in here? I thought you’d be out having lunch.” He said, gesturing towards the left wall. Jesse glanced up and saw a clock announcing the time as well past noon. 

“Didn’t even notice it’d been that long.” Jesse said with a chuckle, putting his latest bouquet down. Hanzo immediately cast down his own bundle of flowers, picked up a black jacket and walked out before Jesse could even wave goodbye. The door was pushed shut, and Jesse looked at it, bewildered.

“Is he, uh…” He began.

“Always like that?” Gabriel suggested. Jesse nodded, which made Gabriel sigh. “Yeah, he is. I don’t know why. He’s a hard worker, but he never says a word more than he needs to. Maybe he’ll warm up to you.” 

“I sure hope so.” Jesse said. He picked up his jacket. “Well, i’d best go n’ find something to eat.” He’d almost made himself a sandwich the night before, but he’d found himself unable to muster up the energy. He realised some of his forlorn feelings were making their way onto his face, so he shrugged his jacket on. As he made his way to the door, Gabriel waved at him. 

“These bouquets look good. I think you’re going to be a good employee.” He said. Jesse gave a small nod, then escaped out into the front of the store. There were no customers, and the door was closed. Hana didn’t look up from her game as he passed. He almost asked her why she wasn’t out having lunch - then he saw the enormous bag of doritos by her side. How on earth was she so small?

As soon as he stepped outside, the cold cut into him. He shivered.

“Are you Jesse?” A curious voice beside him made him jump. Leaning on a wall to the right of him was a woman with hair dyed purple at the ends, and an inquisitive smile. He looked at her suspiciously.

“What if I am?” He asked. The woman laughed.

“Don’t worry, I’m not some deep web hitman. I’m a friend of Hanzo’s. Well, a friend of a friend. I work at the IT place over the road.” She pointed across the street. Sure enough, there was a shop directly across the street with ‘IT SOLUTIONS’ emblazoned above it. The windows were covered in neon writing declaring bargains and brand names Jesse didn’t recognise.

“You want to get some lunch together?”

* * *

By the time Jesse was parked at a starbucks table eating a cupcake the woman had paid for, he knew a bit more about her. Her name was Olivia, she’d lived in Albuquerque for eight years, and she did white hat hacking as a hobby. He didn’t know quite what this meant, but it sounded impressive. When Olivia sat down with two lattes in her hands, Jesse smiled.

“Thanks for all this. I’m not really used to city livin’ yet.” He admitted. “I only moved here about a month ago.” 

“To be a florist?” Olivia asked. Jesse sighed.

“No. It’s - It’s a long story. Anyway, how do you know who I am again?”

Olivia grinned. “I make it my business to know what’s happening around town.” The leaned back in her chair, hands behind her head. She leaned forward again. “Okay, my friend Satya told me. She’s friends with Hanzo.” She explained. Jesse raised his eyebrows.

“I’m kind of surprised he has friends.” He replied. Olivia snorted.

“Me too. I’ve tried to talk to him a couple of times, and he’s always been so cold! He and Satya just like to bitch about things together.” She said. “Hanzo’s kind of mysterious, though. Not even Satya knows why he moved here from Japan.”

Jesse took a meditative sip. “Well, I hope he warms up to me at least a bit. If we’re stuck working together, we might as well be polite.”

“Good luck with that.” Olivia replied dryly. She downed her latte in one gulp. “So what about you?” 

“What do you mean?”

“Why did you move here?” She asked. Jesse’s stomach dropped. He fiddled with his cup, running his finger around the rim of the lid.

“For… Medical reasons.” He replied. He saw her eyes flicker down.

“Your arm?” She guessed. Jesse instinctively pulled it out of view, and Olivia’s eyes widened.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have pried. Well... I hope you like it here in the big city. I know I do. Back in my old place the internet speed was awful!” She continued, clearly trying to lighten the mood. She glanced down at her phone.

“Shit, I’ve gotta get back.” Olivia stood up, and smiled. “We should do this again. But next time, we split the bill.”

“See you, partner.” Jesse waved. The door’s bell jingled, and he was alone at the table. He knew he had to get back too, but it felt like no matter what, he couldn’t muster the energy to get up. That dark, gnawing feeling came back. The one he knew so very well. It began in his stomach and spread to his chest, a heavy weight that crushed the air out of him.

He forced himself to stand. He would finish his first day of work or die trying. The feeling didn’t lessen as he left the store, but he forced himself to keep walking anyway. 

When he got back, Hanzo wasn’t around. As Jesse entered the back area, Gabriel waved and gestured him over. He was standing by the bouquets, with a small box in his hands.

“Any good at sorting out a mess?” Gabriel asked, handing him the box. Inside, there was a jumble of multi coloured ribbon. “We only need the blue ones. Would you mind fishing them out?”

“Sure. Sorry for takin’ a while to get back.” Jesse said. Gabriel shook his head.

“You came back with time to spare. I just like to eat fast and get on with more work.” He replied. Each time Jesse fished out a ribbon, Gabriel would take it and deftly tie a bow onto a bouquet’s wrapped stems. Although his hands were quite large, he crafted each bow with incredible delicacy. 

“Is Hanzo not back yet?” Jesse asked, glancing around.

“He’s out delivering some flowers. We do local deliveries, so I hope you’re not afraid of some walking.” Gabriel said. “Oh, by the way. All these flowers are for a wedding tomorrow, about an hour out of the city. I need you to drive out tomorrow with Hanzo to deliver them.”

Jesse felt a pang of anxiety in his gut. Being stuck in a car with Hanzo didn’t sound like much fun at all. “Alrighty then.” He gave a weak smile. Gabriel clearly saw through his poor attempt, but didn’t say anything. 

They worked quietly. Even though it was his first day, Jesse could feel his worries slowly fading. It seemed like Fareeha really had found the perfect job for him. That is, if he could get along with Hanzo. His mind slowly wandered from subject to subject, and he was so lost in thought that when Gabriel said he could go home, Jesse looked at him in surprise.

“You’ve been a big help, you know. I think you’re going to fit in really well here.” Gabriel said. Jesse looked at the table of neat bouquets, all now adorned with bows. He’d helped make that. He hadn’t helped make anything in far too long. He couldn’t help but smile.

“I think so too. Thank you for taking a chance with me. I know I don’t exactly have sparklin’ credentials.” He said, picking up his jacket. “I’m real grateful.”

* * *

When Jesse went back out into the biting cold, he felt a little less bad. That morning he’d been bracing for every possible bad eventuality. Now he could finally relax. He breathed in a lungful of chilly air. Well, mostly relax. He was going with Hanzo to that wedding tomorrow… No, he’d cross that bridge when he came to it. For now he was going to go home and have a much-needed nap.

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my new fic, AKA "local woman bullshits knowledge about flowers and New Mexico". I hope you like reading it, and I'll try to update soon <3


End file.
